GIRL'S DAY -- EVERYDAY 5
Track List:
1. I'll Be Yours
2. THIRSTY
3. Love Again
4. Kumbaya (Come By Here) (Sojin Solo)
5. Truth (Minah Solo)
6. Don't Be Shy
7. I'll Be Yours (Inst.)
After 20 months on hiatus, Girl's Day is back once more with 'Everyday 5!' Just in time for spring, this 7-track album sees Sojin, Yura and Minah writing lyrics for every song but "I'll Be Yours." They again partner with hitmaker Ryan Jhun ("I," "Love Me Right") for the first time in 7 years on the title tune.
The title track "I'll Be Yours" starts out with honking horns and a vaguely jazzy style, but the pounding beats quickly distinguish it as modern. This is a very strong title track, and contains Minah's powerhouse vocals: "Like the honey that drips from your eyes/I'll tell you more sweetly/I'll be yours." Her performance on that part is beyond reproach and fits extremely well with the song. I thought 2015's "Ring My Bell" was a bit lacking in vocal prowess. This tune brings it back in a big way.
"THIRSTY" has that groove that I heart so much. Again we have Girl's Day's awesome vocals on display here, and it just brings this song closer to my heart. There's a slinky, sultry feeling to this one, catchy and definitely capable of standing next to the title track as a great tune. It had my head bobbing in time with the beat and makes a fantastic comedown from the frenetic energy of "I'll Be Yours."
"Love Again" slows things down and has an acoustic guitar backing melody that makes it seem very much like a folk tune. It really lends this song a different feel from the other tunes. More and more bands are turning to this style, and it's a welcome change. The honeyed vocals work so well with the guitars and the stripped down melody. Voices are again awesome, and entirely unlike what we hear on the previous tunes on this EP -- further evidence of their talent and range. And they absolutely slay the harmonies.
"Love Again" slows things down and has an acoustic guitar backing melody that makes it seem very much like a folk tune. It really lends this song a different feel from the other tunes. More and more bands are turning to this style, and it's a welcome change. The honeyed vocals work so well with the guitars and the stripped down melody. Voices are again awesome, and entirely unlike what we hear on the previous tunes on this EP -- further evidence of their talent and range. And they absolutely slay the harmonies.
This is not the version of "Kumbaya" you learned in Sunday School. It's a soft pop tune, and the insistent piano line is something that really helps this tune pop. Sojin handles the vocal duties as skillfully as ever. She injects a wonderful amount of emotion in her voice, giving this song a definite punch without overdoing it. Even the English in the chorus is fantastic -- no fails here at all.
The next track, "Truth," showcases Minah's vocals. You probably know by now how I feel about that, and she drapes her voice wonderfully around the melody on this track. There's unquestionably some pain reflected in her singing; it goes along brilliantly with the theme of a broken heart. It's a little slow in some parts, but it's not hard to close your eyes and let her voice carry you away.
I wanted to like "Don't Be Shy" more than I did, but I detected some clipping in my copy. I can clean it up by splitting the file and remixing high pass and low pass in Audacity, but they should have released it clean in the studio the first time or even during the mastering. Still, aside from production issues, the song is actually très dope. There's a certain playfulness to it that's evident in the intro, and there are some genius time changes here. I love how seductive it sounds in parts. And there's a glorious marching stomp to the chorus.
Boy did they come back! I broke out some older tunes waiting for this one, and this was not a disappointment. Did I want it to be a little faster in parts? Well, yes, but nothing on here is a deal-breaker. This is a fantastic EP and a breath of fresh air for any fan of Girl's Day. Give this a spin. I think you'll like it.
The MV is kind of a hot mess.
You have Hyeri in boxing gloves, struggling to stay standing at the edge of a ring where two combatants square off. Minah's in a hallway. Sojin is at a barber shop. And Yura plays a smoking piano. All the while they cut to the girls dancing in between the individual shots. None of this makes much sense, but it's not meant to, I don't think.
From one standpoint, you can call it a study in contrasts between a set of classy, lovely ladies and run-down locations. So from that angle, it's art. But to me, it looks like they didn't have a whole lot of money, and the sets look extremely low-rent.
The choreo is extremely meh. All they did was shake their butts and move their legs and knees a bit and not much else. While that can be fun to watch, I wanted something more. Maybe some epic drops, do the nae nae, anything. I know, it's meant to highlight the girls' obvious charms, but in this case... it just felt a little lackluster, especially given the sizzle of the actual tune.
True, they're not known for their amazing MVs, and the music is usually the focus (as it should be). But I feel that this was almost going through the motions. I don't need Star Wars-style special effects, but something was sadly missing from this MV. Kinda makes me wish for the "Nothing Lasts Forever" days. Dynamite album, not so much for the MV.
MV Relevance..........7
MV Production.........6
MV Concept.............7
Album Production....10
Album Concept........9
Tracklisting..............9
OVERALL...............8.0
Boy did they come back! I broke out some older tunes waiting for this one, and this was not a disappointment. Did I want it to be a little faster in parts? Well, yes, but nothing on here is a deal-breaker. This is a fantastic EP and a breath of fresh air for any fan of Girl's Day. Give this a spin. I think you'll like it.
MV REVIEW
The MV is kind of a hot mess.
You have Hyeri in boxing gloves, struggling to stay standing at the edge of a ring where two combatants square off. Minah's in a hallway. Sojin is at a barber shop. And Yura plays a smoking piano. All the while they cut to the girls dancing in between the individual shots. None of this makes much sense, but it's not meant to, I don't think.
From one standpoint, you can call it a study in contrasts between a set of classy, lovely ladies and run-down locations. So from that angle, it's art. But to me, it looks like they didn't have a whole lot of money, and the sets look extremely low-rent.
The choreo is extremely meh. All they did was shake their butts and move their legs and knees a bit and not much else. While that can be fun to watch, I wanted something more. Maybe some epic drops, do the nae nae, anything. I know, it's meant to highlight the girls' obvious charms, but in this case... it just felt a little lackluster, especially given the sizzle of the actual tune.
True, they're not known for their amazing MVs, and the music is usually the focus (as it should be). But I feel that this was almost going through the motions. I don't need Star Wars-style special effects, but something was sadly missing from this MV. Kinda makes me wish for the "Nothing Lasts Forever" days. Dynamite album, not so much for the MV.
Score
MV Production.........6
MV Concept.............7
Album Production....10
Album Concept........9
Tracklisting..............9
OVERALL...............8.0
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